Refrigerator car construction



G. B. TODD.

REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILD JUNE I3. 191].

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

GEORGE B. TODD, 0F BROWN HILL. SGUTH CAROLINA.

REFBIGERATOR-CAR CONSTRUCTION.

Original application filed January 23. 191?. Serial No.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

144.124. Divided and this appIication iiled June 13,

1917. Serial No. 174.484.

To all whom it lmay concern.'

Be it known that I. Gmnon B. Tom), a citizen of the United States, residing at Brown Hill, in thecounty of Aiken and State of South Carolina, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Rcfrigerator-Car Construction, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying1r drawing.

This invention relates to improvements 1n refrigerator. car construction, the. present applleation being e' division of my ap lication filed January 23, 1917, Serial l o. 144,124, one. object of the invention being the provision of `a novel manner of insulating the walls, top and bottom of the. refrigeratmg chamber so the cold will be maintained Within the car and at the same time. not be a'ected by the outside temperature whether it be high or low, a freezing outside temperature having no bad eifect upon thu articles stored as with the pirsent used system.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross section through a. car constructed according to and embodying the.

present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail cross section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the metal supporting braces or pedestals and one slab of insulating material.

Referring to the drawings. the numerals 10 and 11 designate respectively the. inside and outside walls of the car, 1Q the floor und 13 the roof, all of which is of any desired air tight construction.

Mounted on the respective walls, top und bottom and spaced therefrom by means of the slabs 14 of heat insulating material. preferably cork, and the metal braces or pedestals 15 are the bottgin 16, top 17 and the sidewalls 10 of the interior or refrigerating chamber of the car, the same being preferably made of metal with the seams of the sheets overlapping, riveted and electrically welded.

Attached to certain ones of the walls is a. valve connection 18 by means of which a vacuum producing pump may be connected, while also attached in connection with the sides oi the walls of the cnr is a gage. Q0 which indicates the pouditiou ofthe vacuum. 'This space may or mu -.Y not' be filledyitli heat insulating com )osition such as mineral wool. asbestos, or tie like.

With this construction of walls, the braces 15 properlv brac-e the walls of the car to make a solid unitary construction, each of the braces 15 consisting of a' connecting web 21 with the attaching Ilan 2:2 for direct riveting or bolting to the inner walls while a channel member QZ'is provided to embrace the slab 1-1 of heat insulating material The web '21 of each of the brace members, has a plurality of holes 2-1 drilled therein, for the purpose of roviding communica-tion between each of t e chambers formed between the brace members. The holes 24 incidentally serve to lighten the. brace me|n bers somewhat.

B v this construction the outside temperature is prevented from bein transmitted through the members 15 to the lnner walls of the refrigerating chamber. and vice versa` Special attention is directed to the construction of the channel member Q3 of each lof the braces 15. It will be observed in Fig. 2, that the iianges of the channel member 23 are less in -hei ht than the insulatin slab 14 is thick. he outer wall 11 of tie car therefore has no metallic contact with any of the brace members, and consequentlyheat cannot. be transmitted from the outside through the metal of the brace members to the inside wall 10 of the car. The channel member is made broad enou h to provide an ample bearing surface for 51e insulatingr slab 14. The brace members 15, therefore, form an important part of the car construction, in that by reason of the arrangement of the flanges with respect to the insulating slabs 14, the transmission of heat is prevented. and in that they support the outer and inner walls of the rar from collapse, liet-,anse of atmospheric pressure against the walls wl: n the au' in the space between the walls is exhausted. The insulating slabs 14 besides preventin the transmission of heut through the wal s of the car, also act as compression blocks, for it may be easily un derstood that the atmospheric pressure i n the outer wall is partly exerted on the slabs i4 which support. said outer wall.

The braces` .21 may be arranged continuously around the inner car compartment 10. instead of arranging;r them as shown in Fig. l. By auch arrangeuu-nl. u series of compertinents are formed throughout the length of the car, which communicate through the holes l24.

lVhere doors are used in connection with the present car, they are constructed similarly to the wall construction, being braced and vacuumized in a similar manner.

What I claim as new is:

1. A refrigerator car, comprising inside and outside Walls separated to provide a vacuum space between the 4vulls around the car, channeled bracing means coextensively situated with-respect to the walls around the car in said space, and insulating means located in said channeled bracing means, continuous therewith and coextensive with respect to said walls.

2. A refrigerator car oi rectangular cross section, comprising inside and outside walls separated to provide a continuous space therebetween, racing means for the walls consisting of separate brace members secured on each inside wall transversely of the car and arranged to extend over the space adjoining the ends of the individual brace members, said brace members being out of contact with. the adjacent outside walls; and

.slabs interposed between said brace members and the outside walls, said slabs being continuous with the brace members to act so as supports, and made of insulating material to prevent the conduction of heat.

3. A refrigerator car construction,v inside and outside Walls spaced apart toV provide a continuous space between the walls, and bracinrr means for all of the Walls, Situated. in said space, said means includin elongated brace members coextensive with the width ot' each wall, thus obtaining the substantial continuity of the bracing means around the car, each brace member having a continuous channel opposing and spaced from the outside wall, and insulating slabs coextensive with the brace members and located in the channels, in substantially oontinuous contact with the inside surface of the outside wall.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GEORGE B. TODD.

W'itness C. M. Fonnns'r. 

